Just arrived in my newly acquired free timeshare

[WinniWoman]

Well, we were pleasantly surprised with our newly acquired (sight unseen) unit at Innseason Pollard Brook (from Timeshare Nation). The unit is in an older building, but it is in pretty good condition with new carpet, good furniture, newly remodeled master bathroom with whirlpool tub, decent kitchen, nice view- corner top floor unit with long balcony. It is 2 bedroom/2 bath, but it is like a 3 bedroom because there is a loft with 2 twin beds in it. The living room, therefore, has a huge cathedral ceiling. Big screen TV, fireplace. Just a 15 minute delay to check into our unit. No TV in the other bedroom though and I think instead of twin beds that second bedroom would be better with a queen bed, since the loft has 2 twin beds. Still- so far very nice. And- this year was a free stay as did not have to pay the maintenance fees for this year! Now- just hoping for nice weather for the week!

 

[bogey21]

Is Pollard Brook an HOA Controlled Independent Resort? Your post makes it sound like 3 or 4 Weeks I owned at HOA Controlled Independents around the country. If it is, you might check with the Manager and see how accommodating they are. For example will they work with you to facilitate swaps of Weeks with other Owners? Will they give you a discount if you want to rent another Week? Do they have a Sales Program? From my questions you can see that I found Management at HOA Controlled Independent Resorts easy to work with.

George

 

[WinniWoman]

Is Pollard Brook an HOA Controlled Independent Resort? Your post makes it sound like 3 or 4 Weeks I owned at HOA Controlled Independents around the country. If it is, you might check with the Manager and see how accommodating they are. For example will they work with you to facilitate swaps of Weeks with other Owners? Will they give you a discount if you want to rent another Week? Do they have a Sales Program? From my questions you can see that I found Management at HOA Controlled Independent Resorts easy to work with.

George

I know there is an HOA. I have a fixed week in a fixed unit. I wanted this week (31) because our other resort is week 30 and just 2 hours away giving us 2 weeks every summer in Northern New England. There is a mish mosh here of fixed week, RCI points, and Innseason Points owners from what I understand. VRI is the mgmt. company. Innseason is the sales company. I rarely exchange and I try to use the independent exchange companies if I do. I can exchange through VRI as well.

 

[missyrcrews]

Yay!

I was thinking of you as we were driving back to Maine today from Shawnee...I thought this was the weekend you'd arrive in NH. So glad that you love it! Enjoy your week. I bet you've got lots of fun things on the docket!

 

[Ty1on]

Well, we were pleasantly surprised with our newly acquired (sight unseen) unit at Innseason Pollard Brook (from Timeshare Nation). The unit is in an older building, but it is in pretty good condition with new carpet, good furniture, newly remodeled master bathroom with whirlpool tub, decent kitchen, nice view- corner top floor unit with long balcony. It is 2 bedroom/2 bath, but it is like a 3 bedroom because there is a loft with 2 twin beds in it. The living room, therefore, has a huge cathedral ceiling. Big screen TV, fireplace. Just a 15 minute delay to check into our unit. No TV in the other bedroom though and I think instead of twin beds that second bedroom would be better with a queen bed, since the loft has 2 twin beds. Still- so far very nice. And- this year was a free stay as did not have to pay the maintenance fees for this year! Now- just hoping for nice weather for the week!

I'm a little jealous. My first use years for my two new are 2016 and 2017.

This is by design, because wife and kid are in Russia this summer and we wouldn't have time to vacation this year anyway, but that doesn't stop me from being jealous.

 

[WinniWoman]

I am right now sitting on our balcony listening to the brook water rush through the woods. Wi-Fi is very good- they must have upgraded from last winter.

We got off to a bad start driving here from our other timeshare in VT, as our son's car broke down on the highway(89) in Sharon, VT, on his way home to Plymouth, NH- Sharon is about an hour and a half from the VT resort. We drove down to see if my husband could help, but the car ended up needing to be towed and then we proceeded to follow the tow truck to Plymouth and get him to his apartment, etc. Our sightseeing day was shot to hell, and, after lunch in Plymouth we headed up to Lincoln. We left the VT resort at 9:15am and got to Lincoln at 3:45 pm. Would have been just a 2 hour drive from Smuggs! Was stressful, as our son can't afford to fix the car or get a new one, and we really can't help him out with this financially, but that's a whole 'nother story. I guess we really need this second week's vacation! LOL!:rofl:

Ty1on- 2016 will be here before you know it. Heck- last week flew by when we were at Smuggs!

 

[vacationhopeful]

I.....Was stressful, as our son can't afford to fix the car or get a new one, and we really can't help him out with this financially, but that's a whole 'nother story. ....

It is called "a wake up moment" in a young person's life. Just be happy it is car needing money (or replacement) that your son has to face up ... not a baby or home foreclosure or eviction. It is summer and he can ride a bike to work or to look for additional (or better) employment.

Enjoy your vacation ... and the simple things in life.

 

[Bwolf]

George: The HOA is developer controlled. The developer, his best buddy, and a guy who owns several units at Pollard Brook are the board.

I'm not sure about assisting swaps with other owners. There is a discount for rentals for a weekend, perhaps an entire week, not sure about other deals. They have a sales program and will gladly sell you more units at developer prices. They will not help you sell your own unit.

I was once famously told "We are not in the business of buying back units."

 

[bogey21]

Not good. After we divested our 4 Marriott Weeks (a long time ago) we bought 6 Weeks on the cheap (total cost for the 6 was less than $5,000) and made sure they were all HOA Controlled Independents. It was a great decision.

George

 

[ChrisandBeth]

I think instead of twin beds that second bedroom would be better with a queen bed, since the loft has 2 twin beds.

Check with housekeeping. They may have "bed joiners" that can convert the two twins into a King. WorkdMark offers this which is great as sometimes we travel with grandkids and sometimes other couples. The bed joiners are inexpensive and are basically a strap that wraps around the two twins and a "T" shaped foam that fits in the crack between the mattresses. You can't tell it is 2 beds when assembled into the King.

 

[WinniWoman]

It is called "a wake up moment" in a young person's life. Just be happy it is car needing money (or replacement) that your son has to face up ... not a baby or home foreclosure or eviction. It is summer and he can ride a bike to work or to look for additional (or better) employment.

Enjoy your vacation ... and the simple things in life.

LOL! You got that right, Linda!!

 

[tonyg]

Bigger is not necessarily better. Last trip to Pollard Brook was a bit troublesome. Unit not ready on time, BS excuses. Maintenance and services were not up to par.

 

[WinniWoman]

George: The HOA is developer controlled. The developer, his best buddy, and a guy who owns several units at Pollard Brook are the board.

I'm not sure about assisting swaps with other owners. There is a discount for rentals for a weekend, perhaps an entire week, not sure about other deals. They have a sales program and will gladly sell you more units at developer prices. They will not help you sell your own unit.

I was once famously told "We are not in the business of buying back units."

I don't need discounts on rentals for the most part. Don't care much about swaps. Not interested in buying anything. I don't expect them to sell our unit. Most resorts don't. Even our HOA at Smuggs. Just happy using our week/unit and exchanging it once in a blue moon if we have to.

 

[WinniWoman]

Bigger is not necessarily better. Last trip to Pollard Brook was a bit troublesome. Unit not ready on time, BS excuses. Maintenance and services were not up to par.

That seems to be happening about the late check-ins. We arrived around 3:45 and the unit wasn't ready, but it was ready by 4:15. Other people said they had been waiting an hour, but- hey- check-in is at 4pm not 3pm! So I didn't get that complaint. I did suspect that some of the people waiting were exchangers or points owners or whatever, but I have no facts to back that up- just intuition as a few said they hadn't been there in a few years. Maybe some were EOY owners as well. Don't really know and don't know why, if so, it would make any difference.

Last XMAS when we tried to check-in (rental) they told us the people in our unit before us hadn't checked out and all their stuff was still in the unit and they couldn't reach them! They were supposed to be moved to another unit. They wanted to send us to dinner or suggested maybe we do our grocery shopping (which we already did). Then, after we expressed our dissatisfaction, suddenly they came up with two other units in the same building which we did agree to take one of them. I must say, they at least were apologetic about it all, unlike yesterday. Well, I am relentless and while we were waiting I was on the owners Facebook page stating I would be writing a review on Trip Advisor- the good and the bad and speaking with the manager of the resort. LOL! I don't fool around!

Dishwasher was running when we got in- no big deal. There were 2 light bulbs missing which I had to call twice, but then they came to with bulbs. Our smoke detector started chirping in the middle of the night, but I waited 'till morning to call and they came right over to replace the battery. I called for pool towels and more kitchen garbage bags and, again, they came right away and actually brought a ton of regular as well as swim towels. So far I am happy. The resort is decent. Service is good. I like that they do a mid-week cleaning. Internet is working very well. What else could I ask for?

 

[WinniWoman]

Not good. After we divested our 4 Marriott Weeks (a long time ago) we bought 6 Weeks on the cheap (total cost for the 6 was less than $5,000) and made sure they were all HOA Controlled Independents. It was a great decision.

George

Well, which resorts are HOA Controlled Independents? Is Smuggs in that category? I thought an HOA was an HOA.

 

[missyrcrews]

Well, which resorts are HOA Controlled Independents? Is Smuggs in that category? I thought an HOA was an HOA.

Probably the little ones, like Cold Spring? We have an elected board of owners that meets monthly, have a November annual meeting at the resort where we vote on issues, etc. I'm sure there are others!

 

[Maple_Leaf]

That's a horror show...

George: The HOA is developer controlled. The developer, his best buddy, and a guy who owns several units at Pollard Brook are the board.

If true, the only thing worse would be Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman!

 

[WinniWoman]

Well, at Smuggs each building has an HOA that is elected, although most people don't vote anyway and the same people run. Most owners unfortunately don't even listen in on the meetings or know anything about what is going on.

At Pollard Brook, I guess as stated here, that is not the case. Funny-even the owners FB page has resort employees as members, which is crazy. I don't care- though- I say my peace on there. As long as the resort is run decently, I'm ok with all of it. It's a nice resort. The owners at Pollard Brook are even more out of it than the ones at Smuggs. I doubt most would vote anyway or get involved.

 

[Bwolf]

Wow. OK. Let me see if I can respond to a few comments.

mpumilia: The owners at PB are "out of it" because the developer, his best buddy and business partner, and the "owner" who is President of the HOA won't let the other owners "in it". There once were several owners who tried to have input and a voice in the operations of PB. Let's just say they weren't treated very nicely at two consecutive annual meetings.

Maple_Leaf: Dennis Ducharme, Developer of PB, is on the HOA.
Billy Curran, President of InnSeason Resorts, is on the HOA.
I won't mention the name of the multiple unit owner who serves as the President. He seems a nice enough person, so I don't want to even appear to hold him up for ridicule.

The HOA is developer controlled because there are so many unsold units Dennis can vote in his own board, as he does.

missy: A truly independent HOA has no developer involved in the resort anymore. The best example I can give you from personal experience is Sanibel Beach Club. There, the HOA is strictly owners voted in by other owners.

TonyG: Haven't been in touch with you for sometime. Sorry about your latest experience at PB. Keep the faith!

-----------

BTW, my comments above are not intended to offend anyone I responded to. I just thought I'd get some information out.

 

[Maple_Leaf]

Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Maple_Leaf: Dennis Ducharme, Developer of PB, is on the HOA.
Billy Curran, President of InnSeason Resorts, is on the HOA.
I won't mention the name of the multiple unit owner who serves as the President. He seems a nice enough person, so I don't want to even appear to hold him up for ridicule.

The HOA is developer controlled because there are so many unsold units Dennis can vote in his own board, as he does.

How many times have we seen this rotten governance model prior to a big special assessment? Developer runs the resort as his own private playground. Eventually he loses control of the board. New board brings in professional management who discovers an under-maintained resort with no financial reserves. Owners get a big SA bill to pay for long overdue renovations. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

 

[Bwolf]

Maple_Leaf: We actually had a big SA a few years ago. That is when the group of independent owners tried to get involved. You are correct, though, we are probably heading for another SA. I just don't see Dennis being displaced. He still owns too many units.

It is good to know that YOU know how these things trend.

 

[Maple_Leaf]

You guys need an exit strategy

Maple_Leaf: We actually had a big SA a few years ago. That is when the group of independent owners tried to get involved. You are correct, though, we are probably heading for another SA. I just don't see Dennis being displaced. He still owns too many units.

It is good to know that YOU know how these things trend.

I'm not trying to be Mr. Negative here, just realistic. Since you know who you're dealing with already, you need an exit plan. It may be as easy as talking with that owner of multiple units who sits on the board. When you tire of your unit he may want it. Good luck.

 

[theo]

Well, which resorts are HOA Controlled Independents? Is Smuggs in that category? I thought an HOA was an HOA.

Fwiw, Smuggs came to be under the Wyndham "umbrella" just a very few years ago. I cannot and do not claim to know how (or if) HOA / BOD makeup and / or influence changed (or may change in the future) as a result; I have no first hand knowledge or experience at all with that particular property.

Generally speaking, only at truly independent facilities (i.e., no corporate / developer stooges or influence remaining on site at all) is there a HOA / BOD comprised solely of democratically elected owners, whose only allegiance is to the physical and financial health of the facility and the best interests of all the other owners there.

Aside from noting that any "chain" affiliation is generally indicative of significant corporate / developer influence on site to at least some degree, it is difficult to identify or to easily list truly "independent" facilities and / or HOA's / BOD's --- but it is certainly neither fair nor accurate to believe or state that "an HOA is an HOA". T'aint so.

We decided long ago that we would associate ourselves only with "independent" timeshare facilities and we summarily dumped any and all "chain"-affiliated intervals (including within Wyndham and Legacy Vacation Club, the latter being the reincarnated version of bankrupt Celebrity Resorts). We've never regretted that decision.

 

[WinniWoman]

Fwiw, Smuggs came to be under the Wyndham "umbrella" just a very few years ago. I cannot and do not claim to know how or if HOA / BOD makeup and / or influence changed (or may change in the future) as a result, as I have no first hand knowledge or experience with that particular property.

Generally speaking, only at truly independent facilities (no corporate / developer presence or influence on site at all) is there a truly independent HOA / BOD comprised solely of democratically elected owners, whose only allegiance is to the physical and financial health of the facility and the best interests of all other owners there.

Aside from noting that any "chain" affiliation is generally indicative of corporate / developer influence on site to at least some degree, it is difficult to identify truly "independent" HOA's / BOD's --- but it is certainly neither fair nor accurate to assume or state that "an HOA is an HOA". T'aint so.

Wyndham handles sales only at Smuggs and has control over just a few buildings right now- Owls Presidentials, the last built Tamarack bldg. and one Kestrels (Mountain Estates) building that used to be a Family Share bldg.

The resort is still under private mgmt. Each community/bldg. there has it's own HOA that is elected by the owners and they are all owners themselves. We even have a separate HOA for our community recreational facility and pool at West Hill, for ex.

I didn't say an HOA is an HOA- I said I "thought" they were all the same.

 

[WinniWoman]

How many times have we seen this rotten governance model prior to a big special assessment? Developer runs the resort as his own private playground. Eventually he loses control of the board. New board brings in professional management who discovers an under-maintained resort with no financial reserves. Owners get a big SA bill to pay for long overdue renovations. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

I am not sure when, but VRI was brought in to manage Pollard Brook. There was a special assessment a while ago I read about on TUG.